Ted Baker is quickly becoming a brand favorite. In the last few months alone I have bought 2 Ted Baker dresses for important family events (see on Instagram) and am absolutely thrilled with both. This stunning royal blue number was for my cousin’s wedding this past weekend and served the purpose beautifully. It was flirty and fun, flattering and still warm for the outdoor ceremony.

I particularly love the fullness in the sleeves. The dramatic shoulder accent helps to balance the hips and the pleats camouflage any issues on the bottom half without adding bulk. The length is perfection and the thick cotton/sateen material is totally forgiving.

What do you think of Ted Baker? Any holy grail dress designers I should know about?

Welcome to my parents’ backyard! This weekend I spent the majority of it in San Diego with boyfriend for a family wedding. It was a ton of family time, boyfriend/brother bonding (evidence here), and Spring weather. We had an opportunity to do a bit of shopping at our local outlet mall and I picked up this gorgeous coral shell at the J.Crew Factory outlet store. It is the most stunning color and was 50% off the original price of $59 making it a total steal.

I snagged it and love how it fits over the hips. It would be so flattering on a woman of any shape or size but I am particularly pleased with how it fits across the chest.

While in Union Square last week I stumbled non-chalantly into J.Crew. Recently disheartended by the majority of their selection, and the way that it fits pearshapes, I wasn’t expecting to find anything at all that I love. But that darn 25% off lured me in, so browsing I went. I wasn’t finding anything I loved, even on the rack, and then I spotted this black and white beauty. With geometric designs, a narrowed, banded waist and flattering length, I immediately went to try it on.

Lo and behold, a size 10 fit beautifully in the waist, was even roomy in the hips, and sat exactly where I like my dresses to rest on my natural waist. The black and white bands are not placed in awkward parts of the body, but rather work well to continue to enhance an hourglass frame. The straps allow for a bra and the buttoned front allowed me to fold down the sides, creating a v-neck look.

The thick, woven knit material keeps this dress from flowing in the wind too much and was perfect for a recent rehearsal dinner. Finally, the dress is fully lined meaning no visible underwear colors! In all, i’m in love. My perfect black and white Spring/Summer dress. The only bummer? It’s so weird but it is only sold in stores! I couldn’t find it on the J.Crew website and called to confirm. At this point, you can only pop into your local J.Crew to get it.

Guess what! Today i’m featured on Hitha on the Go! I’m discussing some travel tips and tricks, plus my favorite in flight essentials. God knows I travel enough so this feature is particularly exciting for me. I love sharing my thoughts with new audiences! Be sure to check out Hitha’s blog to see the full article. Thanks for the feature, girl! xo